Accused Murderer Avery-Miller Dies After Hanging Herself

After hanging herself in her jail cell, Anne Avery-Miller has died. Avery-Miller was awaiting trial for her son's murder in Antrim County, when corrections officers found her hanging by a bed sheet Monday night. Antrim County prosecutor, Charles Koop, confirms that Avery-Miller has died after being on life support. Sheriff Dan Bean says his officers found her hanging in her jail cell just before 11:00pm Monday. The Sheriff says she had threaded a bed sheet through a ceiling vent, and was unconscious when officers found her. Several sources tell us she never regained consciousness. Bean says the corrections officers had done everything right, checking on inmates each hour as required. Prosecutor Charles Koop will file a motion to drop the case against Avery-Miller on Wednesday. Last December, a district court judge determined there was enough evidence for Avery-Miller to stand trial for the murder of her son, Sam Avery. Sam died from a gunshot wound in November of 2007 in their Elk Rapids home. During the preliminary exam, the defense argued that Sam's death was suicide. As protocol, Michigan State Police will now begin an investigation of the Antrim County Jail. The Antrim County Sheriff's Department will also conduct its own internal investigation to see if anything could've been done differently. From police, to the county prosecutor, to Avery-Miller's defense attorney, they all echo the same sentiment — that this is a tragic end to a tragic story. Erika Waddell and photojournalist Justin DePrekel have the story.